Birthdays

The Duke of Kent, 57; Mr Joseph Ashton MP, 59; Miss Carling Bassett-Seguso, tennis player, 25; Mr Brian Blessed, actor, 55; Col William Brownlow, Lord-Lieutenant of County Down, 71; Mr Paul Channon MP, 57; Lord Chelmer, former company chairman and politician, 78; The Right Rev Lord Coggan, former Archbishop of Canterbury, 83; Dr William Cole, Master of Music at the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, 83; Mr Geoff Cook, cricketer, 41; Sir Colin Corness, chairman, Redland, 61; Mr Denzil Davies MP, 54; Mr Stuart Devlin, gold- and silversmith, 61; Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge, former government minister, 85; Professor Sir Herbert Duthie, provost, University of Wales College of Medicine, 63; Sir David Goodall, former High Commissioner to India, 61; Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone CH, former Lord High Chancellor, 85; Mr Henry Lambert, chairman, Sun Alliance and London Insurance, 67; Sir John Margetson, former diplomat, 65; Mr Norman Mischler, former chairman, Hoechst UK, 72; Mr Steve Ovett, athlete, 37; Sir Norman Payne, former chairman, BAA plc, 71; Miss Irmgard Seefried, soprano, 73; Sir Michael Shaw, former MP, 72; Mr Donald Sinden, actor, 69; Col the Earl of Stair, former Lord- Lieutenant of Wigtown, 86; Mr Bill Tidy, cartoonist, 59.